Lake
Tyers Salinity Profile
Lake Tyers Beach to Nowa Nowa
Hi Folks,
Another experiment on the go!! I have sampled the salinity with a simple $25 meter. The model number is a TDS-3. It has a temperature sensor built in as well to compensate the conductivity readings with temperature. It has a range of 0-9.99ppm, and accuracy of ∓2%. Total Dissolved Solids can be expressed in parts per million(ppm) or milligrams per Litre (mg/L). This meter would be light enough to take hiking and could determine quickly if water was low enough on TDS to be drinkable. EPA recommends that is be lower than 500ppm.
I managed to take a few readings on the trip up the lake gathering the temperature profile. It would appear the TDS near Nowa Nowa is slightly higher than at Number 2 Jetty. However it does not reveal what are the ratios or profiles, of the compounds that cause this TDS reading. Much more complicated and expensive testing would be required to tease this information out.
13 August 2017
Sea Water = Not Taken
Nos2 Boat ramp = 5280ppm
Nowa Nowa Jetty = 5630ppm
Boggy Creek = Not Taken
So the two readings are about 10 higher TDS reading than water considered safe to drink.
The meter is quite good for $25, but has limitations. It can only measure the conductivity of Total Dissolved Substances. So anything ionic in solution will contribute to a high reading. So along with Sodium Chloride (ordinary salt), other salts (eg Calcium Carbonate) if present will also contribute, along with organic acids etc Generally the higher the reading the more likely the water would be considered bad drinking water for humans, possibly even harmful, but obviously brackish water can be ideal for fish.
Not many readings yet, but it is early days and it is hoped to build up a picture of the salinity as time goes on.
Lake Tyers Beach to Nowa Nowa
Hi Folks,
Another experiment on the go!! I have sampled the salinity with a simple $25 meter. The model number is a TDS-3. It has a temperature sensor built in as well to compensate the conductivity readings with temperature. It has a range of 0-9.99ppm, and accuracy of ∓2%. Total Dissolved Solids can be expressed in parts per million(ppm) or milligrams per Litre (mg/L). This meter would be light enough to take hiking and could determine quickly if water was low enough on TDS to be drinkable. EPA recommends that is be lower than 500ppm.
I managed to take a few readings on the trip up the lake gathering the temperature profile. It would appear the TDS near Nowa Nowa is slightly higher than at Number 2 Jetty. However it does not reveal what are the ratios or profiles, of the compounds that cause this TDS reading. Much more complicated and expensive testing would be required to tease this information out.
13 August 2017
Sea Water = Not Taken
Nos2 Boat ramp = 5280ppm
Nowa Nowa Jetty = 5630ppm
Boggy Creek = Not Taken
So the two readings are about 10 higher TDS reading than water considered safe to drink.
The meter is quite good for $25, but has limitations. It can only measure the conductivity of Total Dissolved Substances. So anything ionic in solution will contribute to a high reading. So along with Sodium Chloride (ordinary salt), other salts (eg Calcium Carbonate) if present will also contribute, along with organic acids etc Generally the higher the reading the more likely the water would be considered bad drinking water for humans, possibly even harmful, but obviously brackish water can be ideal for fish.
Not many readings yet, but it is early days and it is hoped to build up a picture of the salinity as time goes on.